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Funny part is, as he mentions, that in EU these C7s are seen as extremely rare. I'm sure they turn a lot of heads over there when Italian sportsters are everywhere.
The great thing about Corvettes is, while it may not be a supercar, it is capable of bruising the egos of supercar owners, and this didn't just start with the C7.
I used to think that any car that could top 200mph completely stock should be considered a supercar. Think of all the 200+mph cars in the 90s, pretty much all supercars. Now we have mustangs going 200mph, so I can't use that definition anymore.
I think the '00 Cobra-R at that point in time was considered a supercar based on performance and rarity.
Point being, the definition is also fluid, in that each generation brings a new meaning.
I would argue that supercars become icons later in their life cycle. As with my example of an F40, any of us revere a car like that as a symbol of a supercar, either currently or in the past.
The C7 will be seen as a leap forward in technology and for the Corvette branding as a whole, but not looked back upon fondly as a supercar. I'm sure this same discussion was had about the C5Z, C6Z, and ZR1. The ZR1 had the best shot, and even it failed to meet the true definition as is usually laid out.
I did not see where they refer to the Z06 as a supercar. It's a bit of wishful thinking.
They said the LT4 has numbers that approach supercar figures. Not even close to the same as calling the Z06 a supercar.
Direct quote:
"It's also worth mentioning that the LT4's supercar performance numbers are achieved with an engine that is nearly the same size as the very compact LT1 engine introduced in the 2014 Corvette Stingray," Lee said. "
IMO that implies they feel an LT4 equipped vehicle is a Supercar. Agree to disagree.
"It's also worth mentioning that the LT4's supercar performance numbers are achieved with an engine that is nearly the same size as the very compact LT1 engine introduced in the 2014 Corvette Stingray," Lee said. "
" supercar performance " - that's quite different than calling the vehicle a supercar. Sorry, but it's true from a semantics standpoint.
What is rather funny, to me at least, is that out of those of us with the most powerful street-legal C7s, I don't think any of us are under the illusion that we have 'supercars'. I have no fear of the Z06, even modified. It will still need more than a tune and a pulley swap to meet some of our numbers - sorry to those who think otherwise. It's still crippled by DoD and AFM , etc. It's not the C7R, folks.
There are C6s here that will crush the 'Ring times of the C7Z, and make our 700-800whp C7s look silly.
Ah well, I guess I'm driving a supercar then. Life could be worse, eh?
Though, I wonder if, since their definition of supercar is breaking 600hp barrier, if I could claim having a hypercar (or some other stupid moniker as an earlier poster pointed out) for breaking 850bhp or better...
It just goes on and on. Oh well. I just have a parting thought, and it's actually a decent one:
We're all living the good life, and arguing about how good our cars are.
GM saying it doesn't make it so. Although by GM's standards the wife's Shelby GT500 is a supercar. I'm glad cuz that should make it worth a lot more $$$.
Personally I don't think the Shelby is a supercar any more than the C7 is a supercar. There was a thread similar to this in C6 Gen a year or so ago. It got very heated because a lot of C6 owners were utterly convinced their GS or 427 was a supercar, and anyone who didn't agree with them was an idiot.
There's no definitive definition of what constitutes a supercar. As others have said it has to do with performance, price, exclusivity, and other factors. By most definitions the C7 doesn't fit any more than any other production Vette. Ask yourself this: Does the C7 or any other Vette compare with and deserve to be in the same category with the Bugatti Veyron, which is no doubt is a supercar. The answer to that question is unquestionably 'no.'
It's really a semantics argument that doesn't matter except for bragging rights for some.